When You Least Expect It
by LuvingLyfe
Summary: I'm not much for summaries...all I can say is a whole lot of Brooke! What's better than a Brooke you've never seen before? Curious? Come Check it out.
1. Ewwwww

1Legs were tangle together, hands roaming enticingly over one another. Their breathing was shallow as the pinnacle of what they were striving to accomplish was about to be reached. He let out an animal like growl just as he felt her trembling with her own pleasure and as he was about to reach his...the door burst open.

"Lucas, Karen asked me to..." a short brunette trailed off as she realized what exactly it was she just walked in on. "Oh My God, Oh My God...Ewwwww..." she said as she covered her eyes with her hands trying to block away the images that were sure to ingrain themselves into her memory.

Lucas collapsed on top of the girl underneath him as he scrambled to cover them up with his sheets. "Damn it Brooke, have you ever heard of knocking?" he yelled in frustration "What the hell." He glanced down at the girl beneath him and offered her an apologetic smile which she didn't see as she was also covering her face in embarrassment.

Brooke could only blindly reach behind her for the door so that she could escape the awkwardness that she had just put herself in. "I know, I'm soooo sorry..." she started as she felt the door and relief rushed through her. "Okay, I'm just going to go now, okay then...bye" and with those last words she fled the room and ran out of the house.

"Brooke..." she heard as she made it to the porch, preparing to jump into her car and gun the engine only to be stopped by a hand on her elbow. She glanced up into the piercing blue eyes of one of her best friends and had to glance away quickly as the images of him naked and sweaty were still too fresh in her memory.

Lucas ran a hand shakily through his hair and could only begin to imagine what was going through her head right now, but he had to laugh at her expression since she did look like a deer caught in headlights. Thinking it would be fun just to let her squirm for just a little bit longer, he chose his next words carefully. "Bet you got an eyeful there, huh Davis?" He watched as her cheeks stained a becoming crimson color, and decided to let her off the hook this once.

"Okay Brookester, what was it you were coming to tell me?" Using the nickname he dubbed her with, hoping to get the response he normally got when he called her that. "Ow!" Yup, that was the response he expected as he rubbed the spot she just hit.

"I told you to stop calling me that Scott...geese, I'm not 12 anymore." She told him angrily, momentarily forgetting everything that had just happened.

Lucas held his hands up in surrender as he smiled into her flashing green eyes. "Hey, it got you to look at me again didn't it?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and arched an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, it did, and before I tell you what I came to tell you today, in the future, lock your damn door so we can avoid this ever happening again, please."

Lucas reached over and playfully tapped the front of the cap she was wearing. "First of all, it's my house, and I was in the privacy of my own room and secondly, you shouldn't just barge in on people, it's not polite."

Brooke released a long sigh before speaking again. " Whatever, Karen wanted me tell you she's going to need you at the café for a couple of hours tonight, one of her waitresses came down with the flu or something." She tossed over her shoulder as she prepared to get into her car, and offered him an innocent smile, knowing he wasn't happy about having to work tonight.

She watches as she heard him growl in frustration. "You've got to be kidding me, I had plans tonight." He started, before an idea came to mind. He turned to her and offered her his best puppy dog face. "Can't you do it Brooke? Please? I'll totally owe you one."

Brooke shook her head quickly. "No way dude, I have plans tonight too."

"Plans? Brooke, you never have plans, come on." He begged with his eyes. "There's this girl I'm supposed to see..."

"Nope, not going to work today buddy...I'm shooting hoops with the guys down the court tonight, so you're on your own." She turned the ignition on and offered him a smirk before she put the wheels into gear. "And besides, maybe it'll do you a little good to keep Lucas Jr. In for the night." And with that, she sped down the road to her next destination.

Lucas could only shake his head as he watched her tail light disappear in the distance. Shoot hoops with the boys tonight, he thought to himself as he made his way back to his room. Sometimes, Brooke was too much of a tomboy for her own good, even now at the ripe old age of 16, when girls were busy prettying themselves for the attention of guys, she didn't see the point, but, he wouldn't have her any other way. Not his Brooke. And he smiled to himself when he thought of her as his. With half the girls in their school so boy crazy, he was glad his best friend was far from it.

He reached his room only to find the girl still laying in his bed looking absolutely bored. "Sorry about that Peyt..." and before he could get another word out, she was already clinging to his body. Oh, the perils of unrestricted desires, he thought to himself as he obliged the blonde beauty in his arms.

**A/N: Okay, so here's the premise of the story. Brooke and Lucas have been best friends since she was orphaned by her parents at the tender age of 10. Karen, is Brooke's godmother, so she got custody of her when Brooke's parents died. Brooke, is a total tomboy. Not a party girl, not a slut, in fact, I'm making her a virgin in this story. Since she grew up with Lucas, Nathan and the Rivercourt guys, she also loves basketball and will be pretty good at it in this story. Lucas and Nathan are still half brothers, sired by none other than Dan Scott but they never hated each other. Nathan and Haley are still the only couple, because, how can you not love Naley? Lucas is a playboy, not a player. In this story, he is a promiscuous gentleman. Huh, what an oxymoron. But deep down, he's searching for that one special someone. Who will it be? I don't know, you'll just have to wait and see. Brooke and Haley are also best friends, but, whereas Haley is a girly girl, Brooke is the exact opposite, to Haley's disdain. Peyton is just a punk rock cheerleader, she won't be that important in this story, because, to be honest with you, I don't really like Peyton. But, she makes a good villain, so I'll keep her around to make it interesting. **

Alright, let me know what you think...good? Bad? Keep it going? Stop writing now? You let me know. Thanks!


	2. She's Not Worth It

1Brooke pulled her car to a stop where the cement met the grass of the Rivercourt. As she got out of her car, she pulled her hat further down on her head, making sure that any loose strands of hair were neatly tucked away. The hooded sweatshirt she wore did well to hide the slender body that was underneath. Before making her way to the middle of the court where the boys were already playing a game, she spotted her close friend Haley, seated on the bench cheering Nathan on.

"Hey Hales.." Brooke approached her with hands tucked into the front pouch of her sweatshirt.

As Haley silently watched Brooke approach, she couldn't help but shake her head at her friend. If one didn't know the girl underneath the boys clothes, one would definitely mistaken Brooke for a scrawny kid. "Brookie, when are you going to start listening to me and start dressing like a girl.." She spoke in playful frustration once Brooke got to the table. "How am I ever going to find you a boyfriend when you refuse to put any effort into it whatsoever?"

Before Brooke could answer, she felt an arm snake their way around her shoulder and a knuckle graze the top of her head. "Sorry babe, the Brookesters one of the guys, wouldn't it be kind of weird to date a guy if she's one of us?" Nathan joked as he broke from the game to grab a drink of water.

"Haha, _Nathaniel_" Brooke responded as she shoved his arm off of her shoulder, and added the emphasis on his name knowing how much he hated when people called him by it. When she got the desired effect of seeing the scowl on his face, she smiled in triumph. "Didn't like that did ya? Call me Brookester again, and I'll take it a step further." She watched his face and waited for him to comprehend her meaning and smirked with satisfaction when the light bulb went off.

"You wouldn't?" Nathan whispered as his face turned red in embarrassment.

"Oh, wouldn't I...?" and as she started to roll his middle name off the tip of her tongue "Herb..." she felt a hand clamped tight over her mouth before the last of the syllables could be said.

"Damn it Brooke, fine, I won't call you that anymore...geese, leave a guy with some dignity will you?" Nathan surrendered when he saw that she wasn't kidding.

"Glad to see you finally taking me seriously..." she said once she nodded her head in consent that she wouldn't reveal the embarrassing secret and he released her mouth. "And to answer your question Hales, I'm seriously not in the market for a guy." She gathered the hem of her sweater and started to pull it off of her. "And besides, if a guy doesn't like me when I dress like this, maybe he's not worth the time and effort."

Haley could only shake her head upon hearing her friends reasoning but before she could say anything, Brooke was already making her way towards the hoop and gesturing for the ball. Haley watched as Brooke went in for the lay up upon receiving the ball from Skillz.

Nathan quickly dropped a kiss on his girlfriends forehead before heading back to join the game, but before he took more than two steps, he was stopped by Haley's hands. As he turned to see her upturned face, and curious eyes, he couldn't help but fall in love with her all over again.

"Wait, Nate, what was Brooke going to reveal that had you all nervous and fidgety?" She asked.

Nathan shook his head and pulled his arm lightly out of Haley's grasp. "Nice try babe, not even that cute face can get me to divulge that information. I'm taking it to my grave." He gave her a quick peck upon seeing her pout prettily before scampering off to join the rest of the gang on the court.

Lucas was wiping down the counter when he heard the bell on top of the door ring indicating that there were customers to serve. Grumbling to himself he looked up unhappily to see his brother and his friends entering the café.

"Hey Luke" Nathan greeted as they made their way to the counter. "You missed a good game man, Brooke's learned some new moves and gave us a run for our money."

"Yeah dude, I think she can actually beat you this time." Skillz offered and laughed at the look of disdain Lucas shot his way upon hearing his words.

"Please, I can beat her on my worst day" Lucas scoffed as he placed the dirty rag under the counter and turned his full attention to his friends. "Speaking of, where is the ragamuffin that left me to slave away on my own here tonight?"

"She's parking the car.." Haley offered as she perused the menu and leaned back comfortably against Nathans body who was standing behind her.

Before Lucas could ask them what they wanted to eat he heard a commotion outside the café. The gang turned to see what was going on only to see Brooke's unhappy expression through the glass door. They all made their way out of the café to further investigate to catch the last of what Brooke was saying.

"What the hell is your problem?" Brooke growled as she felt her anger starting to get the better of her.

"We're not the ones with the problems here _Brooke_." Peyton said as she looked Brooke up and down, distorting her face in disgust upon seeing her attire. "It seems to me that if anybody's in need of help here, it would be you." She finished saying as her friends snickered behind her. "I mean seriously, who let you walk out of the house like that?"

Brooke clenched and unclenched her hands into fists, longing to knock the smug look off the blondes face. "If you want to keep your face arranged the way it is, I suggest you back the hell off..." she said through clenched teeth.

Peyton feigned fear as her eyes squinted in hate. "Oh what's the matter Brooke? Mommy never taught you how to look like a girl?" Peyton watched as the fire raged in the brunettes eyes, knowing that she struck a nerve. Everyone in Tree Hill knew that Brooke's parents were killed in a horrible plane crash when she was 10 and that was why she was living with Karen. But Peyton didn't care how low she had to go, she hated Brooke. She hated the friendship Brooke had with Lucas, and she hated how easily Brooke got along with almost all the guys in Tree Hill without even seemingly trying while the rest of them had to work ten times harder to garner their attention, Brooke just had to smile, and they all flocked to her. What killed Peyton, was that Brooke seemed oblivious to her popularity.

Peyton reached over and patted Brooke on the shoulders in the most patronizing of ways. "Maybe it is a good thing that your mom's not here to see you like this, imagine the heartache?" Peyton turned around to her friends who were laughing uncontrollably now at the situation. None of them liked Brooke either, for the very same reasons Peyton didn't.

As Peyton turned back toward Brooke to say her final dig, she was met with a fist that collided with the side of her face.

Lucas, upon seeing that Brooke had the intention to kill, quickly grabbed her around the waist to stop her attacks.

"Let me at her Lucas..." Brooke yelled as she tried to pry away from his arms at the same time trying to stem the tears that threatened to fall upon hearing Peytons hateful words.

Haley and Nathan ran to Brooke's side as they too tried to keep this situation from escalating any further. "Brooke, she's not worth it." Haley whispered in a voice clogged with tears upon seeing the pain flashing through her friend's expressive eyes.

"Yeah B, she's not worth it..." Nathan reiterated as he sent a deadly glare in Peyton's direction, who was being helped up by one of her friends and he watched as they hurried away. "She'll get what's coming to her."

Lucas, with his arms still wrapped around Brooke's waist, could feel her body shake a little as she tried to calm herself down. During the struggle to escape Lucas's arms, Brooke's hat had fallen off, and her dark chocolate hair came tumbling out of the pins that held them in place. He turned her around so that she was facing him, her eyes refusing to meet his and he reached his hands up to tuck the wayward strands behind her ears while cupping his hands around her face and forcing her to look into his eyes.

"Hey..." he started and had to pull her face back in his direction when she tried to turn away. "Hey, look at me..." he whispered and waited for her to do so before continuing. "Don't listen to her Brooke, she's wrong, your mom would be proud of the daughter she has."

Brooke could only close her eyes as she tried desperately to hold back the tears, not wanting anybody to see her cry. She felt Lucas pulling her into a hug and cradled her head in his muscular chest. She also felt Haley and Nathan hugging her from behind, and it took every ounce of willpower in her to pull away from the warmth they were providing her.

"I just..." she started as she pulled away from them. "I just need to be alone right now" With that said, she hurriedly ran to her car and sped away for the second time today.

Nathan wrapped his arms around Haley as he offered her what little comfort he could knowing she, like he, was extremely worried about their friend.

"I should go after her..." Haley started as she made a move to go after Brooke.

"No Hales, let me..." Lucas said as he made his way to his own car. "Tell my mom I had to run, she'll understand." He waited for Haley to nod her head in acknowledgment before he shifted his car into gear and prepared to track Brooke down.

He could only think of one place that she would be, and he prayed to the high heavens that he wasn't wrong.

**A/N: Okay then, there's your update, a little more insight into Brooke's world. Another "fill in" chapter if you want to call it that. I promise, future chapters will be sooooooo much better, so just stick with me. If you hate it, well, thanks for reading what you have so far. Isn't Peyton such a bitch? I love making her the villain. It's so much fun. **

**Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed and have decided to give this story a shot. You're support is greatly appreciated. **

**Let me know your thoughts. **


	3. You're My Girl

1Lucas pulled his car into the parking spot right behind Brooke's, and as he shifted the gear into park, he glanced out the windshield and caught sight of her lone figure staring out into the night sky her hat pulled low over her face and her shoulders hunched into the warmth of her overly big hooded sweatshirt. As he got of the car, he remembered the first time he found her at this very place.

It had to have been nearly two years ago, and coincidentally, it was also because she got into a fight with some neighborhood girls about the fact that she was an orphan and had no parents. Lucas, himself, was only a year older than Brooke, but, looking back, he had never had such an urge to hit a girl as he did that day he saw Brooke's broken feature at hearing their harsh words.

Brooke stared out into the night sky as she wiped the last remnants of tears from her face. She didn't want to admit it, but Peyton's words cut to the very depth of her soul. She knew the other girls didn't understand her and didn't like her, that was probably why she spent most of her time with guys, mainly Lucas and his friends. Girls were too petty, she thought. Only interested in their quest to be the most popular, and that went hand in hand with getting the most sought after guy. She found it ironic that to the girls of Tree Hill High, the most sought after guy would be the guy that she was living with.

She felt him approaching without having to turn around to see who it was. Lucas Scott always seemed to be the only one who knew her and understood her, inside and out. Haley was her closest girl friend, but Lucas, was her closest everything. She figured that was the case because they grew up in the same house.

"Hey, pretty girl!" He said as he took a seat next to her on the grass and placed an arm around her shoulder. "Thought I'd find you here."

Brooke scoffed at his use of "pretty girl" and turned and gave him a sideway glance. "Maybe you weren't paying attention to what the skinny blonde said earlier Lucas, but I'm not "pretty girl"...hell, according to her, I don't even look like a girl" she said laughing derisively to herself.

Lucas gave her shoulder a squeeze with his hands and pulled her just a little bit closer. "Brooke..." he started as he waited for her to look at him "you'll always be my pretty girl" and he watched as a small smile played at the corner of her mouth but before he could say anything else, she pulled away and punched him in his arm.

"Ow..." he winced.

"Yeah, well, I blame this whole situation on you Lucas Scott..." Brooke started as she pulled herself onto her feet and dusted the dirt off her backside.

"Me?" Lucas asked indignantly. "How the hell is this my fault?"

"Well, for one, wasn't it Peyton you were screwing when I walked into your room this morning?" she waited for him to nod his head in affirmation.

"Yeah, but I still don't see how what happened at the café had anything to do with me...and..." His words trailed off when she held her hand up for him to stop.

"Dude, you are so dense sometimes. You know, for being older than me, you sure aren't the smartest tool in the shed." Brooke continued with her onslaught of insults.

"Hey..." and he was cut off again by her hand. Boy, he sure was tempted to break that hand if she used it to silence him one more time he thought to himself.

"Let me finish. Skinny blonde bitch, layed into me for one reason and one reason only Lucas. YOU!!!" She exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I mean, seriously, how can you not know this? For some unknown reason, she thinks I'm a threat to her, digging her claws into you and making you hers."

Brooke started pacing in front of him as the anger of the incident came back to her. "These girls, they're so stupid...like every girl out there is out to get their man...like I'm interested in the boys around here...what the hell?..." Brooke started rambling as she threw her hands in the air in utter frustration.

Lucas glanced up at the girl pacing in front of him and tried his damndest not to laugh, knowing how serious she was. "Brooke...Brooke, you're rambling again and the pacing is giving me a headache."

Brooke stopped upon hearing his words and forced herself to remain in one spot as she turned to look at him again and crossed her arms across her chest as she waited for him to speak again.

Lucas pulled himself up since his neck was hurting from looking up at her from his seat on the grass. "What can I say babe? The girls love me!" he joked.

Brooke squinted her eyes and punched him once again in arm. "Not funny you jerk" she smiled in satisfaction in hearing his grunt of pain.

"Damn it Brooke, you may be a girl but you punch like a dude. I'm going to have bruises up and down my arm if you continue to do that." he grumbled as he rubbed the spot she had hit, just an inch of the previous spot she hit earlier.

"OH, stop being a baby." she lightly nudged his side with her shoulder to take the sting off her words.

Lucas looked down at her and reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair that managed to escape out of her hat behind her ear and tilted her chin up with his finger before continuing in all seriousness. "Look, I'm sorry for what Peyton said. And in my defense, as horrible as it sounds, it was just sex between us."

It was his turn to raise a hand to silence her when he saw that she was going to interrupt him. "Let me finish." He watched as she nodded her head in consent. "I never gave her any indication that it would be more than physical. And to be honest with you, it would never be more than physical with Peyton. She just has not depth to her, she doesn't interest me that way."

Brooke took his pause of silence as her okay to speak again. "Well that's just great Lucas, I'm being harassed by her for no reason then. Not that I can't handle her, because I can. Case in point, the black eye that's going to grace her face when we're in school tomorrow." Brooke said smugly and that earned a laugh from Lucas.

"Listen, if it'll help, I'll talk to her tomorrow and set her straight." Lucas offered.

Brooke shook her head at the suggestion. "No, that'll just make it worst. Like I said, I can handle Peyton. But, just so we can avoid any of this happening with any of the other girls in Tree Hill who seems to swoon at the merest glance from you, can you somehow make sure that they don't think I'm a threat to them in any way?" Brooke requested.

Lucas looked aghast at the idea and he pulled her into a friendly hug as he chose his next words carefully. "I will make a conscious effort, not to lead any girl on, but Brooke, I can't help how they think. Regardless of what I do or say, they'll think what they want to think, no matter what."

Brooke opened her mouth to make another suggestion but was quieted by Lucas before the words could come out.

"No, I know what you're going to suggest, and I won't do it..." he started and glanced down at her so that he could look her in the eye when he spoke his next words. "B, it seems like I've known you my whole life, and I know you only came to live with us 6 years ago, but I'm not going to pretend like I don't know you just to make other girls feel more secure about me." He waited a beat before continuing.

"You're my girl Brookester, and I'm going to keep you around until you get sick of me."

Brooke smiled, although she knew she should be mad because he called her "Brookester" again, but upon hearing his words, she could only feel content at knowing that he would always be there for her, something he's been doing since her parents died.

Lucas smiled warmly as he felt Brooke hug him tighter. He wasn't sure what it was exactly that made him feel such protectiveness towards her, he figured it was because they basically grew up together, but he wanted to make sure that noone hurt her in any way. He just assumed it was brotherly feelings going through him and left it at that.

Boy, was he going to be proven wrong...

**A/N: Okay guys, here's some Brucas time for you. Hope you like it. **

**To all of those who reviewed, much thanks. I can't explain it, but my heart skips an extra beat when I get your awesome reviews and to know that you like the story. I hope you stick around for their journey, because it really is better when it's Brucas. **

**But, is it going to be a Brucas friendship or a Brucas relationship? Stay the course and find out...**


	4. Brooke's Got A Crush

1"Lucas!" Brooke exclaimed as she held onto the sides of seat for dear life. "You drive like a damn maniac!"

Lucas could only laugh at hearing Brooke's words as he continued to put the pedal to the medal. The were already cutting it really close and he could only hope that they at least made it in time for the warning bell before classes started for the day if not sooner.

As he saw the school approaching he whipped the car into the entrance, earning him a few other choice words from his passenger about his driving ability and pulled into his usual spot in the parking lot.

"Okay pretty girl, out of my car..." Lucas reached around back to grab his backpack only to find that Brooke had already made a quick get away the minute he shifted his car into park. He looked out his windshield to see that she had already attached herself to Haley's arm, and pointing angrily at Lucas and the car. He could only imagine the things Brooke was saying about him as he closed the car door behind him and walked up to the two.

"You're welcome!" He said with a smirk as he playfully nudged Brooke's shoulder with his on his way towards the front doors of the school.

"What? For almost getting us killed? Well, _thanks soooo much_!" Brooke angrily retorted to his retreating back.

"Come on Tigger, you're here, and in one piece, you have to at least be thankful for that much.." Haley said as she pulled Brooke along with her to get to their first class of the day, which they just so happened to share.

Nathan was walking down the hall towards his class when he spotted his girlfriend linked together with Brooke just in front of him.

"No hats allowed in school Davis" He said as he swiped the hat off her head only to hear the protest roll off her lips before she could snatch it back.

He placed his arm around Haley's shoulder and dropped a kiss atop her head.

Before Brooke could open her mouth to curse Nathan out for taking her hat she felt herself being knocked over by another body.

"Hey, watch where you're goi..." Brooke started to yell before she found herself looking into the most adorable boy she thought she'd ever seen.

"I'm so sorry..." the stranger started as he offered his hand to help her up. "I didn't see you, and I was running late and didn't know where I was going..." he trailed off as they now stood face to face and he caught sight of the girl whose hand he now held captive in his.

Somewhere in the distance, they both heard the warning bell go off, but neither cared.

For the first time in her life, Brooke felt flustered because of a boy and she didn't know how to handle it. Gazing into his eyes, she felt like she knew them, which is strange, she thought, considering she's never met this boy before. She thought she heard Haley's voice telling her they had to get to class and then she heard the scuffle of footsteps and doors being closed as classes started, but she couldn't move.

Shaking her head and pulling her hands out his because the contact felt too much she reached down to straighten her clothes, and as she looked down at her baggy jeans and hooded sweatshirt, she became all too aware and all too conscious of her boyish attire.

"Hi, I'm Jake...I just transferred here." The stranger stated as he held out his hand for her to shake.

"Brooke" she said as she shook his proffered hand still a little confused at her lack of speech.

"Well, it was nice bumping into you Brooke" Jake said after another bout of silence passed between the two.

"Anytime.." Brooke slapped a hand to her forehead amazed that she just said what she did. "I'm sorry, did I just say that out loud?"

"Don't worry about it, I knew what you meant." He offered kindly, not wanting to embarrass the girl any further.

"Listen, do you think you can show me where the principals office is? I'm supposed to go there to get my schedule."

"Yeah, sure, it's this way"

With that, the two new acquaintances walked down the hallway together in a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.

Lucas walked out to the quad area and spotted Haley and Nathan across the way and made his way to join them.

"Hey guys" He greeted as he looked around "Where's Brooke?"

"What's up Luke? Decided to grace us lowly sophomores with your presence today?" Haley teased.

"What can I say, people in my grade are boring, and plus, I'm still a kid at heart." That earned a scoff from Nathan. "Seriously, where's Brooke? I wanted to see how she was doing today, see if there were any more run ins with Peyton."

Before either Haley or Nathan could respond they spotted Brooke walking onto the quad with the guy that bumped into her earlier.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Nathan asked curiously. "Looks like our Brookie's got herself an admirer." He pointed in the direction of the two so that Lucas could see what he was talking about.

Lucas turned around but didn't see what Nathan was referring to right away. "What are you talking abou..." he trailed off. "Oh!" he whispered as the two people in question approached their table.

"Hey guys!" Brooke greeted.

"Hey Brooke, who's your new friend?" asked Haley.

"Jake" Jake introduced himself before Brooke could and he offered her an endearing smile to which she blushed profusely.

Lucas wrinkled his eyebrows in curiosity upon seeing the blush appear on Brooke's face. When did Brooke blush? He thought to himself. In all the years he's known her, he's never seen her face turn that red. He found this revelation oddly discomforting.

"Jake here just transferred from Savannah, Georgia. Jake, this is Haley, Nathan, and of course Lucas." Brooke introduced.

They all shook hands, while Brooke avoided the looks of curiosity aimed at her from both Haley and Lucas. Nathan, of course, was oblivious to everything around him, as always.

When the guys started talking basketball, since Jake also played basketball and was looking to join the varsity team in Tree Hill, and before Brooke could join in on the conversation, she was pulled roughly aside by Haley.

"Hey Hales, what's up with the manhandling?" Brooke joked.

"Duh Tigger, can't you tell I'm dying to know what's going on between you and Jake?" Haley stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, and as she pointed to Jake, he happened to glance up and was discreetly gazing adoringly at Brooke to which Brooke was clueless to. But Haley caught it.

"What are you talking about? He's a new friend."

"New friend? I saw the way you two were looking at each other when he knocked you down and then helped you up. You couldn't tear your eyes off of one another."

To this, Brooke felt herself blush again.

"And see? You're blushing again? Brooke, I've never seen you blush, so there is definitely more to this than gaining a new friend."

"Okay, okay, but I don't know what to tell you Hales. I mean, I don't know what it is exactly I'm feeling, but my stomaches all in a knot, and my hearts beating a thousand miles a minute, and it makes no sense since I just met the guy." Brooke rambled as she ran a hand through her hair nervously, wishing more than anything she had her hat so that she could pull it low over her face so that noone could see how red her face was getting.

"Awww, Brookie's got a crush!" Haley exclaimed excitedly.

Lucas, who was only half listening to Nathan and Jakes conversation about who the better team was, Duke or the NC Tar Heels, caught the last of what Haley said. Crush? He thought, Brooke doesn't like guys, there's no way that's what Haley meant, but as he watched Brooke cover her face in embarrassment, he felt a sinking in his heart that he didn't understand.

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**A/N: Okay guys, this chapter was a bit all over the place, because, honestly, I just wanted to give you an update. But, I also want to give you quality updates, so future chapters, going forward, will be a little more spread out. That way, I can still give you updates and I'll actually be able to be happy with them since I wasn't a hundred percent happy with this one. So, my apologies if it sucks...**

**Although, did you like how I threw a little twist into the story? I love Jake's character, so I figured who'd be more perfect to introduce the world of relationships to Brooke but good ole' Jake. Don't worry, I'm not sure if that'll be a permanent relationship or not. Your thoughts on that would go a long way to helping me decide. **

**Once again, I apologize if the chapter sucks, I promise, future chapters will be better. **


	5. Promise

1It had been two weeks since Brooke and Jake met and the two had become inseparable but neither of them could be happier. From shooting hoops together to just hanging out at Jake's place and doing homework. Both relished the fact that they could just enjoy spending time together without any awkwardness or expectations.

Brooke hadn't allowed herself to think of Jake as anything other than a friend, although she did find herself physically attracted to him. The butterflies in the stomach and the erratic beating of her heart that she experienced when she first met him has since settled into a comfortable warmth that spread through her entire being whenever she was with him. Outside of Lucas, Brooke couldn't recall another guy she had ever spent so much time alone with and she smiled at the thought.

Jake glanced up from writing his essay for English in time to catch the smile that graced Brooke's face. They had been in his house for the past two hours, working on their respective assignments for class tomorrow, little did Brooke know, Jake had been spending the last hour, not on his paper, but on trying to figure out how to ask her on a date.

"What you thinking about?" Brooke looked over at him with an arched eyebrow.

"You" He simply stated, and felt a small sense of pride when she blushed. God, he thought, if only she knew how adorable she looked when she was the slightest bit embarrassed.

"Oh yeah? And what kind of thoughts are you having about me?" She ran a hand through her hair nervously hoping he didn't catch the slight quiver in her voice and that he actually believed the flippant tone she attempted to use when asking him that.

Jake abruptly sat up from his spot, startling her in process as he reached over and grabbed her hand. "I was just thinking..." He ran a finger down the length of her open palm "how extremely adorable you look when you crinkle your eyebrows together when you're deep in thought.." He ran another finger down the space between her brows to demonstrate "and how you blush the most becoming shade of red when I pay you a compliment." He moved an inch away from her to watch her reaction to his words and smiled adoringly when her face turned red again. "And there it is."

Brooke, not knowing how to handle his comments, tried to pull her hand out of his, only to have him hold on a little tighter. "Come on Jake, you're embarrassing me..."

"I like you Brooke, and not like a friend likes another friend, although we are friends, but I like you _like you_, will you go out with me?" He waited expectantly for her response.

"Umm..." Brooke started at a loss of words.

Meanwhile, somewhere across town, Lucas was at a loss for words himself.

Lucas watched the curly blonde in front of him and let out a frustrated sigh as he ran a hand through his short hair. She dares to show up unexpectedly to his house, made herself comfortable in his room and wonders why he's irritated.

"Lucas..." Peyton reached up to him from her seat on his bed and ran a hand down the length of his buttoned down shirt. She always thought he looked sexiest when he was dressed this way instead of his usual attire of t-shirts and jeans. "We're good together, why can't you see that?"

What Lucas wanted to do more than anything was yank her hands off his shirt and fling it away from him, but, his mother did raise him to be a gentleman.

"I don't know what other way to say it to you Peyton without sounding like an insensitive jerk.." He grabbed her hands and gently moved it off of him.

Hearing his words brought a fire to her eyes. "So what? I'm good enough to screw but I'm not good enough to be your girlfriend?"

"I didn't say that, but I also didn't do anything that would lead you to believe that I wanted anything more than that from you." He walked across the room and leant against his desk, trying to put as much distance between them as he could. "I told you from the beginning that I'm not a relationship type."

"Is this about Brooke? About what happened between her and I?" She crossed her arm securely around herself as she stood up to face him. "I thought I already apologized for that."

"Yeah, you apologized to me when you should've apologized to her which is what I told you." He scoffed. "And that's besides the point. An apology loses it's meaning when there's no sincerity behind it Peyton."

"Do you really think so little of me?" Peyton faked a look of hurt hoping to win sympathy points with him. Like she would ever apologize to Brooke, she thought to herself, when hell freezes over. But, Lucas didn't need to know that.

Seeing this as his way out and getting Peyton out of his face once and for all, he chose his next words carefully, hoping to drive the point across once and for all. "I'm going to say this once, and only once, so I need you to listen carefully Peyton." He watched as she pretended to give him her undivided attention. She must think I was born yesterday he thought to himself when he saw right through her pretense. "I don't think a lot of you and I don't think little of you..." he paused for added effect. "I don't think of you at all." When he saw understanding dawn on her face, and her eyes turned to steel upon hearing his words, point taken he thought. Ding ding ding ding, good job Peyton, you're smarter than you look, were the words he wanted to say out loud, but decided it was best if he kept it to himself.

"Go fck yourself Scott" She grabbed her jacket and stormed out of his room slamming the door behind her.

Lucas ran a hand over his face as he let out a sigh of relief. Finally, he thought as he walked over and plopped himself onto his bed. Women!! He was starting to wonder what the point of them was when they only brought him grief and headaches.

"Well, they are good for _some _things.." He laughed out loud to himself as he closed his eyes.

Meanwhile, back at Jake's place.

"Brooke?" Jake waved a hand in front of her face trying to get her attention.

"Huh?" Brooke shook her head from side to side trying to clear her mind. Did she just hear him correctly? Did Jake just ask her out? What is she going to do? She's never been out on a date with a guy, unless you considered going out with Nathan or Lucas alone as a date. Lucas? She thought, why was she all of a sudden thinking about him when another guy just asked her out?

Jake took her silence as a negative response, and turned his face away so that she couldn't see the pang of rejection on his face.

But Brooke had already seen it. She reached out and pulled him back to her. "I'm sorry Jake, I guess I was just shocked."

"It's okay, I'm sorry for just springing it on you like that. I guess I just assumed that, since we were getting along so well that maybe you felt the same."

"That's not why I was shocked Jake.." She waited for him to look into her eyes again. "To be honest with you, you're the first guy to ask me out, so I just didn't know how to respond." She shrugged her shoulder self consciously.

Understanding dawned on Jake's face along with shock. How is it possible that he was the first guy to ask her out? Surely she must be mistaken he thought to himself, but didn't want to embarrass her any further so he didn't voice his question.

"Maybe I'm the first guy to take a chance on asking you out Brooke.." He whispered softly as he reached out a hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "I'm sure lots of other guys would've wanted to."

"Yeah right, they see me as one of the boys, someone who they can hang out with but never date..." Not that she would've been interested, but he didn't need to know that.

"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you have Lucas Scott at your side." She gave him a questioning look. "I've only been here two weeks Brooke, and I already know that almost half the students in our school is afraid of getting on Lucas' bad side."

"Lucas doesn't have a bad side." Did the kids at their high school really feel that way about Lucas? She thought to herself. Huh? That would explain a lot of things.

"Not with you Brooke, maybe you haven't noticed it, but he keeps an eagle eye out on you."

"Oh, this is ridiculous! Lucas is a teddy bear once you get to know him, kids at our school are just stupid." She defended loyally. "I've known Lucas forever and I can't see how anybody can be afraid of him."

"Hey, I'm not saying he's a bad guy, I just want you to see that more guys are interested in you than you think." He patted himself on the chest playfully to prove his point. "I'm a guy, I should know."

Glancing down at her watch and noticing how late it was, and wanting to avoid any further talks with Jake about "boys" interest in her, she grabbed her backpack and made a move to leave.

"Alright Jake, I think it's time to call it a night, we have school in the morning."

"Wait, Brooke.." Jake took hold of her arm again as his face became serious and he stared into her eyes intently. "You didn't answer my question."

Brooke tried to rack her brain for the question that he was looking for a response on, but couldn't come up with anything. They had talked about so many different things that night, and this whole bringing Lucas into the equation was totally messing her up.

"Date?" Jake offered as he saw her blank stare.

"Oh right..." She smacked a hand to her forehead. "Sure, I think it'll be fun." She smiled, hoping to relay enthusiasm instead of confusion to him.

"Great, this Saturday sound good?" Jake released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding once she responded in the affirmative.

"Saturday's perfect." She reached over and pulled him into a hug before making her way out the door. "Just make sure it's nothing too fancy Jake. I don't need to be wowed or wooed." She tossed over her shoulder as she made her way out of the house and toward her car, not hearing Jake's laughter upon hearing her parting words.

Not another girl out there like her, Jake thought to himself as he prepared for bed.

Back at Lucas' house.

Lucas was just finishing the last chapter of his book before he finally closed it and reached over to turn off his bedside lamp but stopped when he heard the front door open and close. Before he could get up to see if it was his mom or Brooke, the brunette popped her head into his room.

"Hey loser!" Brooke walked further into his room when she saw that he was still awake and planted herself onto his bed as she let out satisfied sound when she felt the soft mattress under her.

"Hey Brookester" He laughed as she rolled her eyes. "How was your night?"

"A whole lot of boring topped off with an invite of a date." She shrugged her shoulder indifferently, not thinking much of the situation, although, saying that she had a date out loud just made the whole matter a lot more real. "Oh My God, I have a date, A DATE!" So lost was she in her own world that she didn't notice Lucas' look of surprise when he heard she had a date.

"Wait, what?" Lucas sat stunned. Not because Brooke got a date, he knew better than anyone that any guy would be lucky to go out with her. She had a lot to offer. He was more shocked by the stopping of his heart that occurred when she said date but before he could dissect the matter any further, Brooke was already pacing around his room waving her arms in the air frantically.

"A DATE Lucas. Shit, what did I just get myself into?" she muttered that last part under her breath as she tried to gain control of the situation.

"Yeah, I heard you the first time Brooke.." Lucas rubbed a finger to his temples at the headache that was now forming. "I take it the date is with Jake?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"Well, you were with him tonight weren't you?" She nodded her head. "I can put two and two together Brooke."

"I never said that you couldn't" She noticed him rubbing his temples for the first time. "What's wrong with you all of a sudden?"

"Nothing, just a headache that snuck out of nowhere." He waved off her concern.

"Well?"

"Well what?" Seriously, he was having a hard time keeping up with her chatter tonight.

"The DATE Lucas, can't you see I'm freaking out here?" She threw her hands up in the air as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"What are you freaking out about? It's just a date..." Lucas could feel the strain in his voice when he said date. "Obviously, he's interested, otherwise, why would he ask you out?"

"See, right there, that's my point." She picked up her pacing again. "I don't know how to go on a date...how am I supposed to act?...what am I supposed to wear?...You know me, I don't like having to worry about how to dress..And up until now, I didn't have to, but I'm guessing baggy jeans and a sweatshirt isn't exactly date worthy right?...Oh God, he's going to hate me isn't he?...After one date with me, he's going to run off in fear...!!"

"Brooke, you're rambling again and making my headache that much worst." Brooke came to a stop in front of him and looked beseechingly into his eyes, hoping he would say the magic words that always made her feel better. Only Lucas Scott knew what to do or say when it came to her. She hadn't realized how much she had counted on him until that very moment.

Lucas reached up and pulled her into a seat beside him as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "Just be you pretty girl, and if Jake's a smart guy, which I think he is, he'll love you for the wonderful person you are, just like I do." He smiled when she placed her head on his shoulder and leaned in to get a little bit closer to him.

"You promise?" It was such a childish thing to ask of him, but she needed to hear him say it, only from him would she believe that everything will be alright.

"Promise!" He reached up and started stroking her hair. Something he'd been doing since her parents died. He found it was the only way to comfort her.

After a few minutes passed, Lucas glanced down to say something else to her, only to find that she had fallen asleep in his arms.

"You must be tired." He whispered to nobody in particular, knowing she couldn't hear him. "Brooke?" He tapped a hand to her shoulder only to no avail. "I guess I"m carrying you to your room again." Too many nights did they spend in his room, watching a movie, or just talking, only to have her fall asleep on him, and he always ended up carrying her to her own room.

He made a move to lift her into his arms only to have her snuggle into him even more so than she was already. "No, stay here, like this." He heard her sleep induced words.

Having no other choice, but to do as she requested, he laid himself back on his bed and pulled her down with him. As he shifted to get comfortable, he tried to pull his arm out from under her head, but she had already flung an arm around his torso, trapping him in his current position.

He sure as hell was going to have a sore shoulder in the morning, but as he looked into her peaceful face, and the smile that adorned her face, he wouldn't have it any other way.

**A/N: Okay, before I say anything else, I forgot in my last chapter to thank you all for the wonderful reviews. And it was in reading them, and seeing how much you enjoyed this story as I do, that I decided to update once again even though I had said that my updates would be a little more spread out. **

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I'm not a hundred percent happy with it, but I'm also not hating it. I did try to make it a little longer than previous chapters. **

**Just a little backstory. Jake is a senior in this story and he has his own apartment. His **

**parents are still in Georgia, which is where he transferred from. He is in Tree Hill to help care for his Grandmother, but does not live with her, since she is in a nursing home. He does not have a baby, so Jenny will not be making an appearance in the story. **

**Karen will be making an appearance within the next couple of chapters, I've just been trying to focus on the kids for now. **

**Anyway, like I said, I hope you like it. Be sure to let me know what you think, that's how I decide how soon to update. **

**Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, it definitely made my day. **

**As usual, I like to end my chapters with a little Brucas!! **


	6. Will You Teach Me?

1Karen watched from the doorway as Haley threw one item of clothing after another in the air.

"Damn it Haley, you do realize you're going to be responsible for cleaning my room after this don't you?" Brooke removed a shirt off of her face as she watched her friend in frustration.

"Well, if you had a decent shirt to wear, I wouldn't have to ransack your room now would I?" Haley jumped from her position on the floor and quickly turned to face her friend.

Karen, seeing their usual friendly banter take a turn for the negative quickly made her presence known.

"Okay, okay girls..." She quickly placed herself between the two, arms extended out between them. "Back to your corners." Her tone of voice, although still amused, relayed the seriousness in them.

"But Karen.." Both teenagers started at the same time, both eager for Karen to take their side of the situation.

Karen silently held up her hand quickly silencing both girls. "I don't want to hear it." She gestured for them to take a seat and watched as Brooke took a seat on her desk and Haley took a seat on the edge of Brooke's bed, both sulking.

"Now, what in the world is going on here?" Karen picked up a discarded bra off of the floor. "Do I even want to know?" Raising an eyebrow in Brooke's direction causing the young girl to blush profusely as the implication behind her words registered.

Walking briskly across the room, Brooke snatched her bra out of her god mother's hands. "Sooo not funny Karen."

"You see Karen, the problem is that our little Brookie here..." Haley pointed disgustedly to the aforementioned girl. "Is going on her first date tonight, and as you can see.." she gestured around the chaotic room "the girl doesn't seem to own a date worthy thing since she insists on acting and dressing like a guy."

"Hey, it's not like I asked you for your help," Brooke quickly defended herself "You're the one that's making a big deal of it, as you can see..." She gestured to her current attire of baggy jeans and oversized sweatshirt "I got the date dressed the way I always dress."

"Oh please..." Haley scoffed. "You mean to tell me it was my other best friend who called me last night in a panic? To quote your exact words..." She lifted two fingers on each hand. "Help me Haley, help me!"

"Help me Haley, as in help me keep my sanity since you are my _best friend_..." Brooke folded her arms across her chest. "Not in any point during our conversation last night did I ask you to dress me like I'm some damn doll."

"Alright, time out." Karen quickly interrupted as she made the symbol with her hands. "Brooke, honey, you know I love you right?" She waited for the girl to nod her head in affirmation. "And you know that Haley loves you too so she was just trying to help here right?"

"Yes.." Brooke begrudgingly nodded her head.

"Okay, good. Now, here's what we're going to do." Karen made a quick survey of the room before coming to a decision. "Seeing as all your clothes are.." She paused as she tried to find the right words to use. "To put it kindly, not up to par with what a girl your age should wear on a date, Haley and I will go to the mall and pick you out something to wear."

"That is a fantastic idea Karen, why didn't I think of that?" Haley's eyes instantly sparkled at the idea of shopping.

Karen watched as uncertainty flashed across Brooke's face. "Don't worry, we promise to pick out something that even you would wear." She reached over and gave the young girl a motherly pat on the cheek before making her way out of the room. "Haley, I'll meet you outside."

Brooke quickly grabbed one of Haley's arms as she made a move to follow Karen. "Just please, no skirts." She implored her friend.

"No skirts." Haley agreed as she left.

Brooke watched as both Karen and Haley made their way out of the house, only to run into Lucas on his way in.

"Hi Luke, bye Luke..." She heard Haley shout out as she quickly disappeared from sight.

Lucas looked back and forth between Brooke, who was standing in the doorway to her room and to the two retreating figures of, who he could only assume, were his mom and Hales.

"You don't want to know." Brooke said before he could open his mouth to ask the question.

She heard him mumble something under his breath before making his way to his room.

"What's up?" Brooke stood watching him flop down on his bed from the doorway. "You look beat."

"Yeah, I am." He placed an arm across his tired eyes.

"Okay then, I'll just leave you be." Brooke started to turn and leave only to be stopped by his voice.

"No, you can stay. I could actually use some friendly company right about now." He rolled over to his side so that he could face her.

"Friendly company huh?" She turned and made her way to sit beside him on the bed. "Dare I even ask what kind of company you just came from then?"

"I don't really want to talk about it." He quickly dismissed with a wave of his hand. "What's going on with you? Where were my mom and Hales off to in such a rush?"

"Well, tonight's the big date, and after hearing Haley insult my wardrobe for the past half hour, you mom offered to go buy me something." Brooke shrugged her shoulder indifferently. "It was either let them go to the mall, or be forced to wear something out of one of their closets. I went with the lesser of two evils."

"What's wrong with the clothes you already have?"

"That's what I said, but according to them, it's just not girly enough." Disgusted with the whole matter and not wanting to talk about it anymore, Brooke quickly changed the subject. "So, who's the newest brainless sap you're taking out tonight?"

"Brooke, I'm hurt by your implications." Lucas held a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Not all the girls that I date are brainless and besides, their other qualities and talents definitely makes up for their lack of an IQ." He said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You're such a guy Lucas." She smacked him in the arm in disgust.

"Yup, that's me, a guy, and glad for it babe." Lucas turned to see worry lines make their way across her forehead. "What you thinking about now?"

"What? Oh, it's nothing." Brooke shook away the concerns that were flashing through her mind.

"Come on Brookester, I know when something's bothering you." He pointed to the creases between her brow to make his point.

Sitting up, she started playing with her hands, trying to avoid eye contact. "Well...I was just thinking, Jake's probably going to want to kiss me after our date tonight isn't he?"

"Probably..." Lucas replied slowly.

"I mean, what if he does want to kiss me tonight Luke? What do I do?"

Trying to hold back the laughter that was trying to escape, he answered as best he could. "Well, once he kisses you, and you feel that he wants to kiss him back, you do."

Bouncing off the bed, she started her nervous pacing again. "But that's the problem, I don't know how to kiss. I've never kissed a boy and what if I'm bad at it, and then he hates it and therefore he hates me in the process because I can't kiss...?"

Reaching over to catch her hand, he stopped her in front of him. "Pretty girl, it's really not that big a deal. Jake's not going to hate you, he's going to love you no matter what." Lucas didn't understand the strain he heard in his voice upon saying these words.

Brooke looked into his eyes uncertainly, not fully believing his words. Taking a deep breath, she asked him the question she had been waiting a week to ask, since being asked out by Jake. "Would you teach me how?" Her voice quivered as she waited with baited breath for his response.

Did she just ask him to teach _her_ how to kiss? Kiss_ Brooke?_ How weird would that be? These were the questions running through Lucas' mind. "Teach you how to what?" He needed her to clarify her request.

"To kiss a guy..." Brooke ran a nervous hand through her hair as she watched a series of emotions flicker through Lucas' face.

"I don't know Brooke, wouldn't that be weird?" He shifted uncomfortably on the bed as he ran an unsteady hand over his face.

"If it was anybody else, then yes, it would be weird. But it's you Lucas, I trust you more than anybody else." Her eyes searched his as she waited, and when she saw his jaw set and the certainty behind them, she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Okay...okay, I can do this." He muttered under his breath as he stood up so that they were standing face to face.

"Good." Brooke closed her eyes and puckered her lips expectantly only to open them again upon hearing Lucas' silent laughter. "What? Am I doing this wrong?"

God, how he loved her innocense. Reaching his hand up so that they gently grasped the sides of her face, he smiled gently. "No and yes. You're not supposed to stand there all puckered up and waiting." He made sure he had her full attention before continuing.

"First, there's going to be some eye contact..." Slowly he lowered his mouth down to hers "then, he's going to lower his face down to yours, just like I'm doing right now..." Brooke watched him, her eyes captivated by his, her heart beating a thousand miles a minute in anticipation. She found her self entranced by his low voice. "And then, when the moments right, lips will meet lips.." He waited a breath, his words a whisper across her mouth, before he captured it with his own.

Stunned by the contact at first, Brooke remained still, but as she felt his lips moving against hers, and the spark of electricity that she thought for sure she imagined from the initial contact, she was quick to respond.

Her hands reached up to the back of his neck as they made their way into his hair. Her body leaning closer to his as if it had a mind of its own.

Lucas wasn't sure what was happening. What started off as a lesson quickly turned into just the act itself. He found himself wanting to deepen the kiss, and as he felt her body leaning into his, he felt his body responding against his will, but he couldn't stop. She felt so good against him. His tongue darted out to trace the outline of her mouth and it took everything in him to contain the moan that he wanted to let out when she opened her mouth for him to explore.

Brooke felt his tongue explore the inside of her mouth, and sensations she couldn't explain coursed through her body. A need she didn't know existed gnawed her insides, wanting to be satisfied. Tentatively, her tongue reached out to massage his and she felt extremely empowered when she heard him moan loudly from the contact.

Stop!! Stop!! His conscience screamed for him to do. With every ounce of will power he could muster, he tore his lips off of hers as he released her from his arms.

Both stood staring at one another as they tried to regain their normal breathing. Lucas watched as Brooke raised a hand to her swollen lips.

"So, that's how you kiss." He laughed nervously as he tried to break the awkward silence that fell between them. More than anything, he needed to get his bearings about him again. That kiss was an unsettling experience, and left him utterly confused to the emotions he was experiencing.

"Wow...now I know why all the girls at our school are always throwing themselves at you." Brooke covered her mouth with her hands when she realized what she was saying. Stupid Brooke, she thought. Why don't you just throw yourself at him too, while you're at it? Her mind screamed.

"Yeah, now you know." He needed his cocky arrogant self back now more than ever. Until he figured out what he was feeling, he needed to pretend that the kiss had no effect on him at all.

Brooke was desperate to escape his room to the sanctuary that hers offered. Too many thoughts and emotions were making it's way through her head and she needed to be alone to mull them over. "Well, thanks buddy for the lesson." She patted his shoulder on her way past him and scurried out of the room.

Lucas flopped himself back onto his bed as he closed his eyes. _I'm going to need a cold shower _he thought. Unbeknownst to him, the brunette girl across the hall from him was laying in a similar position on her bed and the same thoughts were running through her mind. Minus the cold shower bit, because chicks don't need cold showers after a sexual encounter.

**A/N: Hi guys, hope you liked the chapter, if not, sorry to disappoint. Let me know what your thoughts are because as always, your thoughts matter to me. **

**Thanks again for all the awesome reviews, you guys ROCK...**


	7. That's What We Do

1

Some would say that going on your first date is a right of passage into adulthood. How many other firsts can one keep overlooking before they sit down and realize that it's okay to make a big deal of at least one of the firsts in life. So, on this night, while Brooke was trying her hardest to stay calm and collected, Karen and Haley weren't exactly making it easy for her with all their squealing and hand clapping when they caught sight of her in her "date" outfit. And to Brooke, it probably would've been a lot less embarrassing had Lucas not been standing in her doorway observing everything with a bemused smile gracing his face.

"Brooke, honey, look at you." Karen's smile widened as she placed a hand over her beating heart. "I always knew you were beautiful, but this..." she gestured up and down "...this just proves it."

Brooke stood in front of her full size mirror and studied her reflection and it took her a moment to recognize the girl staring back at her. Gone were her usual attire of hooded sweatshirts and baggy pants only to be replaced by a pair of dark, low riding skinny jeans that were snug on her hips and a fitted red halter top encased itself on her torso, accentuating curves she hadn't realized before And gone were her comfortable sneakers and in its place were a pair of knee high black boots that zipped over the leg of her jeans.

Her hair hung in loose curls down her back, her eyes were lightly shadowed in neutral colors that made the color in them stand out all the more. Long earrings hung from each side of her face. Lips were shimmering in a pale pink gloss that Karen had swiped across.

Definitely not a face Brooke was accustomed to seeing when she looked in the mirror.

"And now, to complete the ensemble.." Haley held out a black knitted shrug for her friend to slip on. "Perfect!"

"Perfect!" Karen reiterated.

Haley studied her friend carefully and was confused to see such a lack of enthusiasm on her face. "Come on Brooke, can you at least try to look a little excited? Aren't you looking forward to this?"

Lucas watched as she tried to force a smile on her face, but he didn't buy it. Although instead of saying anything, he bit his tongue and tucked the thought to the back of his mind for a later time.

"Of course I am Hales..." Glancing between Karen and Haley's hopeful expressions, she tried to find the words to express how she really felt without bursting their bubble and ruining all their hard work. "It's just, don't you think this is a bit much?" She pointed at her reflection in the mirror. "Makeup? Jewelry? Just seems to be an awful lot of time and effort for no reason."

Lucas had to bite his lip to keep the laughter from escaping his mouth. He had to admit, she had a point. It _did_ seem a little much. He wasn't naive enough to believe a girl rolled out of bed looking good. He knew that some effort was put into it, but if he had to be honest with himself, he always thought that, out of all the girls he knew, Brooke was the one that he could see doing just that. Roll out of bed and still be as attractive without all the work.

"I mean, seriously guys, in all the time I took to get ready and made up, I could've finished two games on the court." Brooke watched as the smile fell from both Karen and Haley's face. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I'm being unappreciative."

Karen placed a motherly arm around the young girls shoulder and rested her head against Brooke's. "I know it seems like a lot sweetie, _but_ this is the first date, believe me, it won't be as bad the next time around." She quickly sent Haley a look when she heard her scoff under her breath.

"I'm sorry Karen, but, that's a load of bull, and I say that with the utmost respect..." She quickly continued when she saw Karen open her mouth to speak. "Brooke, this is what girls do. We shop, we talk about boys, we get excited about dates with new guys, we get manicures and pedicures, we pamper ourselves and we do all of this with a smile and grace because even though we may not always love it, we still do it."

"Well that's great and all Hales, but not all of us are like that."

"Alright girls, we can debate this all night, Lord knows this topic is about as controversial as a presidential election, but we don't have time for that right now." Hearing the authoritative tone, both girls knew to keep their mouths shut. "And besides, isn't Jake due to pick you up any minute now?"

Off of Brooke's nod Karen made her way to the doorway and noticed her son for the first time. "Lucas, you gave me a scare there, how long have you been standing there? I thought you were going out?"

"Sorry Ma, didn't mean to. I was just heading out but wanted to stop by and wish the Brookester here luck on her date." He shifted his gaze from his mom to Brooke. "You look good pretty girl, Jake's not going to know what hit him." He quickly kissed his mom on the cheek before heading down the hall, completely missing the blush that graced Brooke's face upon hearing his words.

"Oh, by the way, remember when the time's right, lips will meet lips..." He poked his head back in to give her his parting words and this time he did catch the blush making it's way across her face once again. He chuckled as he quickly made his way back out when he saw the curiosity on both his mom's and Haley's face. Don't want to be pulled into that conversation, he thought to himself as he made his way out of the house and into his car.

Haley and Karen both turned to Brooke with questioning eyes but before either could voice their thought aloud, Brooke dashed passed them offering a small smile.

"Oh, will you look at the time, is that a car pulling up, that must be Jake. Thanks you two, I'll see you later." Brooke rambled as she walked out of her room and towards the front door, praying that Jake would just miraculously appear on the other side and save her from an embarrassing conversation.

Prayer answered as Jake was indeed on the other side of the door with his hand in mid motion to knock.

Before Jake could say anything, Brooke quickly pushed him toward the front steps, closing the door behind her, only to hear Haley yell out "We're so talking about this later Davis."

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry, short chapter. A lot's been happening lately, but I wanted to get a chapter out to you. If, in the future, you would rather I hold off on updating, so that the chapters can be longer and of better quality, just let me know and I will do just that. **

**Thanks for all the awesome reviews, gotta say, it's what keeps me motivated to update and continue. Let me know your thoughts!!**


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